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Do animals exhibit placebo effects?

... be fooled by fake pills? To find out Laura Brooks asked Eleanor Drinkwater, animal behaviour researcher at York University. Eleanor - When talking about placebo effect we tend to think ...

A goldfish

Do fish fart?

We put this to Eleanor Drinkwater, from the University of Cambridge... Eleanor - I think this is a fantastic question. I absolutely ...

Mayfly on a leaf

Why do some insects only live for a day?

... this question from Stu on Facebook. It was over to Eleanor Drinkwater from the University of York for an answer and ... Stuart Eves was able to relate nature's ability to adapt! Eleanor - Basically it’s because they are brilliant. And ...

Goose

Six geese are laying

... of Christmas with the help of Hugh Hunt, Alan Calverd and Eleanor Drinkwater. Graihagh - Are we ready for the 6th day of ... smell very vinegary afterwards, I warn you. Graihagh - Eleanor - do we know why birds lay eggs instead of live young ...

An ant walking

Can ants feel pain?

... went crawling around for the answer with York University's Eleanor Drinkwater... Eleanor - Ants can definitely sense that they’ve been ...

Clouds in the sky

The sky above

... else until the cycle machine is free. What do you think? Eleanor - What do you think Hamish? Hamish - My instinct ... their exercise for a good reason. What do you reckon? Eleanor - I think for me it would depend how grumpy was ... It's a close one! Ella Gilbert, Hamish Symington, Eleanor Drinkwater, Sam Virtue Here's how our players got on in round ...

earthworm

How do earthworms move?

... Smith put Paul's earthy question to animal behaviourist Eleanor Drinkwater... Eleanor -  Well this is a brilliant question and if you ...

Goldfish in pond

Can I train my goldfish?

... Smith put the question from Liz to animal behaviour expert Eleanor Drinkwater, who explained there's more to goldfish than meets the eye... Eleanor - The answer is yes you can train your goldfish. I ...

photo of chef Tristan Welch displaying a cake cooked on a BBQ

BBQ-ed pineapple upside down cake

... gooey in the middle... a nice wasp buzzing round for you, Eleanor... Eleanor - I was just trying to catch it, actually. Chris - ... on the bottom. Tristan Welch, Parker's Tavern; Eleanor Drinkwater; Jane Parker, Reading University Can you really ...

A fly

Flies are the best insect, here's why!

... of that? Andrew - Oh dear, that doesn't look idea does it? Eleanor - It's so cute. Look at it's little face Harry - Eleanor, can you describe to us what we can see? What is the ... niches, which is why I think they're great.   Eleanor Drinkwater Are flies adapting to the different tube lines of ...

photo of a man cooking meat on a bbq

Let's get this BBQ started!

... known to The Naked Scientists, that's doctor to be (soon), Eleanor Drinkwater. She's just a gnat's whisker from handing in her PhD thesis. Welcome to the show, Eleanor, you've brought along something for the feast. What ...

Swan

Seven swans are swimming

... a swim in the name of science, and Chris Smith heard from Eleanor Drinkwater how birds avoid getting cold feet... Chris - So ... quietly and put layers on.      Chris - Good advice. Eleanor - How do swans manage to swim in 3 degrees C water? ...

dog and cat

Cats vs dogs

... forum user Neilep's question to animal behaviour scientist Eleanor Drinkwater... Eleanor - This is a really lovely question and in fact this ...

Tree in Concrete

Can trees grow in concrete?

... get enough water in city pavements? Chris put this to Eleanor Drinkwater, who got to the root of the problem... Eleanor - That is a really good question. Trees, and plants ...

A giant panda

Does animal personality affect conservation?

Wildlife biologist Eleanor Drinkwater discussed animal personalities with Chris: Eleanor - Animal personality as a field is kind of still very ...

Brown Bear

How do bears know when to hibernate?

We put this to Eleanor Drinkwater, from the University of Cambridge... Eleanor - Well first of all there hasn't been a huge amount ...

dog

How dogs keep fit

... Smith put James' question to animal behaviour scientist Eleanor Drinkwater... Eleanor - Well if you think about it a lot of breeds of dogs ...

A fly

How high can a fly fly?

Eleanor Drinkwater answered listener Alex's question about how high a fly can fly... Eleanor - If you think about the kinds of things that high ... it definitely wouldn't be a problem at all. Eleanor Drinkwater, Uni of York Do flies suffer from altitude ...

photo of an Icelandic horse

Do arctic horses migrate?

... into winter, Katie Haylor put this fitting question to Eleanor Drinkwater.. . Eleanor - The study that he talked about - so cool!  ...

BEE HIVE

How do bees make wax?

Animal behaviourist Eleanor Drinkwater got stuck into this question from our forum... Eleanor - It's pretty adorable. So it also comes from the ...

A single ant

Do ants get lost?

... from David on The Naked Scientists forum to insect expert Eleanor Drinkwater. Eleanor - Oh, probably not. Sadly, ants tend to be very ...

Artist's rendition of red blood cells

Extreme scales

... but I can't remember if they got another one since... Eleanor - Sounds like a good answer. Katie - A - Death ... gadolinium, b) chromium or c) actinium. What do you think? Eleanor - I have no idea. Do you know Hamish? Hamish - I ... by the clarinet. Ella Gilbert, Hamish Symington, Eleanor Drinkwater, Sam Virtue Here's round 3 of the Naked Scientists ...

Christmas Reindeer

Twelve Scientific Days of Christmas

... and science communicator James Bowers, bird expert Eleanor Drinkwater, Cambridge engineer Hugh Hunt, psychologist Amy ... tales of joys and woes of Christmas past? James Bowers, Eleanor Drinkwater, Alan Calverd, Hugh Hunt and Amy Thomas A ...

Two dogs joshing with one another

How do animals know how to scare off predators?

Animal expert Eleanor Drinkwater explained... Eleanor - It's a deep area of controversy at the moment in ...

Beetle on flower

Why are insects bigger in tropical areas?

... question from James in Amsterdam for our insect expert, Eleanor Drinkwater from York University. It was then over to vet ... who is all too familiar with animals, great and small. Eleanor - Well, this is one of the things I love most about ...